PRESS RELEASE - 06/05/2005

"Golf courses;
What kind of tourism development do we want in Crete?"

Meeting organized by the Cretan Network of Environmental Groups (C.N.E.G.)

When: Saturday, May 21, 2005

Where: Panormon, Rethymnon; Cultural Hall  "Charoupomylos", Cultural Society of Panormon ‘Epimenidis”.

Download Invitation HERE (.gif 250Kb)

In recent years, the promotion of golf courses as a solution to the problems of tourism development in Greece and as absolutely necessary tourism infrastructure has grown enormously. Crete has already an 18-hole golf course in Hersonissos (Prefecture of Herakleion) and a smaller one in Elounta (Prefecture of Lassithi). Currently, there exist about nine proposals for new golf-related developments on the island. The government’s positive stance towards facilitating and simplifying the application procedures for the investors have led already to massive changes in the official status of forest, agricultural and archaeological areas and the circumvention of the competent authorities.

However, the development of golf courses is not without problems. In the perspective of sustainable and balanced tourism and socio-economic development, their serious impacts on water and soil resources, the environment, and the social and economic structure of the island cannot be ignored. This is even more important for an island such as Crete, where the natural resources exist in a state of precarious and threatened balance and where ecosystem degradation and numerous environmental problems have contributed considerably to the chronic crisis of its tourism economy.

We believe it is necessary to hold a public discussion on the matter to negotiate the issue of golf course development in relation to the quality of tourism development that is desirable in Crete, record alternative opinions to be used as reference points, inform the citizens and the local authorities so that they stop seeing the golf courses as a hobby of a segment of the tourist market that Crete wants to attract only but also as a serious threat to the ecosystems, water and soil resources and the prospects of  sustainable development of Crete.

Secretariat of the Cretan Network of Environmental Groups
Fax: 2810 284520, e-mail: diktyo@ecocrete.gr, Web site: www.ecocrete.gr.

The program of the meeting follows.

Program of the meeting:

11:00
Welcome

11:30
«Tourism and the Cretan landscape: Reconciling their encounter»
Dr. Oliver Rackham, botanist, historical ecologist, University of Cambridge, author of the book «The making of the Cretan landscape».

12:00
«Golf courses and development; visible and invisible facets of their relationship»
Helen Kapetananki-Briassoulis, professor, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean.

12:30
«The cultural landscape in the world of contemporary changes and the question of local identity»
Theano Terkenli, assistant professor, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean.

13:00
«Golf courses: impacts on water and soil resources and the problem of desertification in Crete»
Nikos Danalatos, associate professor of Landscape Ecology, Department of the Environment, University of the Aegean.

13:30
Lunch break

14:30
«Alternative forms of tourism, the prospect of sustainable tourism development»
Yiannis Schizas, author, editor of the journal «Ecotopia».

15:00
Interventions, discussion

CRETAN NETWORK OF ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS (CNEG)

Participating organizations (from west to east):
• ECOLOGICAL INITIATIVE OF CHANIA
• ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION OF RETHYMNON
• ECOLOGICAL INITIATIVE OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF PHOINIKAS
• ECOLOGICAL INTERVENTION OF HERAKLEION
• ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROMOTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND RESOLUTION OF THE ENERGY PROBLEM OF CRETE
• ECOLOGICAL GROUP OF IERAPETRA
• ECOLOGICAL INITIATIVE OF OREINO, MUNICIPALITY OF MAKRY GIALOS
• ECOLOGICAL GROUP OF SITEIA

And the groups:
• «GEIOSIS» ECOLOGICAL GROUP OF THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CRETE – CHANIA
• ECOLOGICAL GROUP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CRETE – RETHYMNON

fax: 2810 284520, e-mail: diktyo@ecocrete.gr
web site: www.ecocrete.gr

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